Carrying the Cross of Waste and Poverty: Lenten Activities in Cebu Honor the Struggles of Waste Workers and the Urban Poor

16 April 2025, Cebu City. – In a powerful expression of faith, justice, and solidarity, the EcoWaste Coalition, in partnership with Sanlakas Cebu and its allied organizations, held two meaningful events this Holy Week to spotlight the daily struggles and aspirations of waste workers and marginalized communities in Cebu.

Set during this year’s Holy Week, the activities served as an invitation for the faithful not only to reflect on the Passion of Christ but also to recognize the modern-day suffering of those who labor in the margins—our informal waste workers and urban poor—amid growing economic and environmental challenges.

On Holy Tuesday, April 15, a Waste Workers’ Assembly brought together waste workers from across Cebu to foster unity and collectively shape their agenda ahead of the National Informal Waste Sector Congress in June. Participants marched from across Queensland Hotel along Maxilom Avenue and proceeded to Barangay Carreta Gymnasium for a morning of reflection, dialogue, and mutual support. The assembly sought to uplift the voices of those who have long served as the backbone of local recycling systems but continue to face neglect and vulnerability.

Today, Holy Wednesday, a unique Lenten-themed action titled “Kalbaryo sa Mamumuo ug Maralita” took place in the streets of Cebu City. Echoing the Stations of the Cross, the event dramatized the lived hardships of the working class and urban poor—an embodiment of Christ’s suffering seen through the lens of today’s social and economic injustices.

Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator of the EcoWaste Coalition, joined local communities in this act of solidarity, underscoring the organization’s call for the recognition of the dignity and rights of all workers, especially those in the informal sector.

“These events remind us that Christ walks with the poor, the laborers, the informal sectors—those who carry the weight of society’s waste and indifference,” said Lucero. “To honor His sacrifice is to stand in solidarity with those who suffer, to listen to their cries, and to act justly.”

Meanwhile, Teody Navea, one of the leaders of Sanlakas Cebu, emphasized the spiritual and political relevance of the Holy Week gatherings. “This Holy Week, we walked with the poor and the working class in reflection and resistance,” Navea said. “Our journey is a reminder that faith must move beyond prayer into action, and that the path to liberation lies in solidarity with those who carry society’s heaviest burdens.”

Rooted in the spirit of compassion and renewal that defines Lent, both activities called on the public and policymakers alike to reflect not only on spiritual transformation but also on the urgent need for social and ecological conversion—a turning away from systems that oppress and exclude, and a turning toward just, inclusive, and sustainable communities.

As the Lenten season invited all to remember the passion of Christ, the faithful were likewise encouraged to contemplate the daily crucifixions endured by the poor and the earth, and to rise with them in action and hope.